Three Concerns For The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls
By Jason Luthor
With the NBA season getting close, it’s time to take a look at what to expect from the teams around the league. Here are three concerns about the 2016-17 Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls are the inheritors of one of the greatest legacies in NBA history. To this day, they carry the mark of Michael Jordan on them. In a city the size of Chicago and with the type of history the team has, there are always expectations for the Bulls to at least be competitive. However, they’ve made some big moves during the off-season, and nobody can be sure how those will pay off. Here are three concerns about the Chicago Bulls going into the 2016-17 season.
1. Was Trading Derrick Rose the Right Move?
Derrick Rose arrived in 2008 and immediately became a force to be reckoned with. He won the Skills Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend, collected the Rookie of the Year award, and took the Bulls to a seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. He was only the second player in NBA history to debut in the playoffs with at least 35 points and 10 assists.
It was the 2011-12 season when Rose sprained his toe, then began having back and groin issues that put him out of rotation for 12 games. During the playoffs that year, he tore his ACL. He wouldn’t return for the entire 2012-13 campaign, then injured his meniscus early in the 2013-14 season that put him out for the season. Halfway into the 2014-15 campaign, he reinjured his meniscus, putting him out yet another 20 games.
There were four solid years of Rose sitting out large parts of the season. By the time he was able to play a full season once again, Jimmy Butler was taking on a larger role for the Chicago Bulls. The two never meshed, and public opinion of Rose was already starting to waver after years of his sitting out. Rose’s performance was decent, but far from his superstar days.
At the end of the day, Rose’s best days playing for Tom Thibodeau at the core of the Bulls was done. This happened not just because of declining play and injuries, but just because of baggage between Rose and the team. It might not have been a great move to trade him, but it was a necessary one.
2. The Jimmy Butler Show
Not lost in all these discussions is the role of Jimmy Butler in the decision making process. Butler and Rose made a bad fit with one another and both required too much time with the ball. Butler is an All-Star though, with the talent to defend and rack up points. What’s left to be seen is whether the team flows more smoothly now with Butler as the team’s leader.
While his talent is undoubted, there have been questions regarding his ego and the impact that has on the team. Some have felt this conflict largely arose due to Butler trying to assert a larger role while operating in the shadow of Rose and Joakim Noah. That will no longer be the case this year. However, Butler won’t be playing alone out there.
3. The Chicago Bulls Trades Make No Sense
Rajon Rondo is a fine player. Dwyane Wade is a champion and a living legend. However, in the last three years, Rondo and Wade have only made 160 three-point shots. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson made 353 three-pointers in only three months. Every team needs slashers and distributors, but in the modern NBA, you also need three-point shooting.
Related Story: Chicago Bulls: 2016-17 Season Outlook
Rondo, Wade, and Butler are all ball-dominant players with heavy usage. None of them break 38% on three-point shooting. Butler would have to play a secondary role instead of as the leader, which just created conflicts last season. Rondo’s had past conflicts with coaches and hurt his team in the process. Can he coexist with Butler?
Beyond the terrible structure of the Chicago Bulls, the looming question is whether so many dominant personalities will be able to coexist. It doesn’t look hopeful, and it seems the organization prioritized signing recognizable names rather than cohesive pieces of a championship team.